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Fire victims waiting to be rescued at the World Trade Center Hong Kong. Photo/meiling lai/bbc
Hong Kong police confirmed to the BBC that eight people were injured and had been sent to hospital.
Police said the fire broke out in the engine room and spread to scaffolding around the building. The building is currently under renovation.
No fatalities were reported and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Eight of the injured were aged between 31 and 72. As many as 150 people have been evacuated so far, according to authorities.
“All the shops have been vacated during the renovation work, leaving only a few levels of the building operating, mostly restaurants and offices,” the South China Morning Post reported.
The fires have been classified as a level three incident, with level five being the most severe.
The fire at the 38-floor World Trade Center on Gloucester Road was first reported at lunchtime.
Among those who were inside the building when it caught fire was Meiling Lai, who was having lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the 12th floor when the building caught fire.
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